CN115151770A

CN115151770A - Refrigerator for beverage

Info

Publication number: CN115151770A
Application number: CN202180015002.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金大雄; 杨熹洙; 吴旼奎; 李秀英; 金自然; 崔华允
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2020-03-06
Filing date: 2021-02-15
Publication date: 2022-10-04
Also published as: EP4116655A1; US20210278110A1; EP4116655A4; WO2021177626A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for beverages. The present invention comprises a cabinet (10) and a cooling guide (40) for conveying cold air to a beverage container (B) stored in the cabinet (10) in a standing state. Furthermore, a plurality of cooling devices (C) are arranged on the cooling guide (40) to cool the cooling guide (40) and expose the water outlet nozzle (70) to the outside of the cabinet body (10), thereby extracting the beverage. In this case, the surface of the cooling block (57) facing the thermoelectric element (55) constituting the cooling device (C) and the surface of the cooling block (57) facing the cooling guide (40) have areas having different sizes from each other.

Description

Refrigerator for beverage

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for beverages, and more particularly, to a refrigerator for beverages for cooling bottled beverages.

Background

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that stores food at a low temperature in a storage space of an interior shielded by a door. Therefore, the refrigerator is configured to cool the inside of the storage space by using cool air generated by heat exchange with a refrigerant performing a refrigeration cycle, thereby storing stored foods in an optimal state.

In recent years, with changes in dietary life and a trend toward higher-grade products, refrigerators have been becoming multifunctional, and refrigerators having various structures and convenience devices that can provide users with convenience and effectively use the internal space have been on the market. In particular, as the consumption and preference of alcoholic beverages such as wine and champagne increase, refrigerators suitable for storage according to the type of alcoholic beverage, refrigerators that store cooked foods such as kimchi for a long time, and the like have been developed.

Among them, in recent years, there is a trend toward an increasing demand for wine refrigerators capable of storing beverages such as wine among the public. U.S. patent publication No. 20190300358A1 (prior art 1) discloses that a heat sink is provided around a beverage container housed inside a storage apparatus, and a structure for reducing the temperature of the beverage container by connecting the heat sink to the Peltier element. Further, korean registered patent No. 10-1174393 (prior art 2) discloses a structure in which a mounting portion of a wine bottle is directly cooled and stored by a thermoelectric element unit.

However, in the above-described conventional art 1, the radiator connected to the thermoelectric element cools only a part of the wine bottle, and the entire beverage container cannot be cooled uniformly, and a long time is required for cooling the beverage container, so that the cooling performance is deteriorated. Also, the prior art 2 has the following disadvantages: the thermoelectric element assembly forms one side wall surface of the storage space, thereby reducing the temperature around the wine bottle and reducing the overall temperature of the storage space, which results in a significant decrease in cooling efficiency and an increase in manufacturing cost.

In addition, in view of the characteristics of wine, the storage temperature is very important in order to enjoy the flavor and aroma of wine. For example, in the case of white wine, the temperature is preferably adjusted to about 5 to 8 degrees, and in the case of red wine, the temperature needs to be adjusted to 13 to 18 degrees, and the temperature conditions may vary depending on the specific conditions such as the type and the year of production.

However, in the case of the conventional wine refrigerator, although the temperature of the entire storage space can be adjusted, the temperature cannot be individually adjusted for each stored wine. Therefore, when storing different types of wines in one wine refrigerator, it is not possible to provide optimal conditions suitable for each wine.

In addition, in the case of the conventional wine refrigerator, in order to store the wine bottles, it is necessary to secure an installation space for installing a cooling device in the wine refrigerator in addition to an internal depth at least as long as the wine bottles are vertically long, and therefore, there is a limit to miniaturize the wine refrigerator.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to cool a beverage container by a cooling device and to cool the beverage container efficiently and uniformly by a cooling guide surrounding the beverage container.

Another object of the present invention is to set cooling temperatures different from each other for respective storage chambers inside a refrigerator for beverages.

It is still another object of the present invention to erect a beverage container inside a beverage refrigerator for storage and to closely attach a cooling device to a cooling guide surrounding the beverage container.

Means for solving the problems

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a cooling guide in the interior of the cabinet. The cooling device cools the cooling guide. The cooling device includes a cooling block disposed between the thermoelectric element and the cooling guide to perform heat exchange. In this case, the surface of the cooling block facing the thermoelectric element and the surface of the cooling block facing the cooling guide have areas having different sizes from each other. Thus, the cooling efficiency is improved by increasing the contact area between the cooling block and the cooling guide, or the cooling guide is rapidly cooled by contacting a larger thermoelectric element with the cooling block.

The cabinet is provided with a plurality of storage compartments therein. The plurality of storage compartments are separated from each other by a heat insulating part surrounding the cooling guide, thereby forming independent spaces. In this way, the temperatures of the respective storage compartments do not affect the temperatures of the adjacent different storage compartments, and different cooling temperatures are set for the respective storage compartments.

The beverage container is stored in the cabinet in an upright state, and the cooling device is provided in close contact with the cooling guide. Thus, the width of the inner space of the cabinet can be reduced, and as a result, the refrigerator for beverages can be miniaturized.

And, of both side surfaces of the cooling block, a surface facing the cooling guide is relatively wider than a surface facing the thermoelectric element. Thus, the cooling block transmits the cold air generated by the thermoelectric element to a wider area of the cooling guide.

The cooling block includes a first block in contact with the thermoelectric element and a second block in contact with the cooling guide. In this case, the first block and the second block are formed in different shapes from each other with respect to the step surface.

The thickness T2b of the second block is thicker than the thickness T2a of the first block. This makes it possible to increase the thickness of the heat insulating portion surrounding the second block, thereby improving the heat insulating performance between the storage compartments.

The thickness T2 of the cooling block is greater than the thickness T1 of the cooling guide, and the height H2 of the cooling block is lower than the height H1a of the cooling guide. This can sufficiently secure a space for providing the heat insulating portion.

An inner cavity is provided in the cabinet, and the cooling guide is coupled to the inner cavity to form an inner case. At this time, at least a part of a storage chamber for storing the beverage container is formed inside the inner casing. Here, the inner cavity forms an outer frame of the storage compartment, and the cooling guide is responsible for cooling the storage compartment.

Further, the periphery of the storage compartment is filled with a heat insulating portion, and the cooling guide is disposed between the heat insulating portion and the storage compartment to prevent the heat insulating portion from being exposed to the storage compartment. The heat insulating portion improves heat insulating performance between the storage compartments and maintains a temperature difference between the cooling guide and the radiator to a certain degree or more.

The cooling guide includes a first guide connected to the cooling device and a pair of second guides connected to both ends of the first guide. The first guide member and the second guide member form a rear surface and a side surface of the storage compartment to surround and cool the beverage container.

The first guide is formed into a curved surface, and a surface of the cooling block facing the cooling guide is formed into a curved surface so as to be in surface contact with the surface of the cooling guide. In this way, the first guide can uniformly cool the beverage container having a curved shape, and the cooling block is in surface contact with the cooling guide with the largest possible width.

And, a distal end portion of the second guide facing the front surface of the cabinet is open to the front surface of the cabinet. At this time, a portion opened between the pair of second guides is shielded by an insulating panel. In this way, the heat insulating panel and the cooling guide together form at least a part of the storage compartment, and the storage compartment is formed in a state that can be observed from the outside through the heat insulating panel.

The cooling guide is provided in the inner cavity so as to extend in a height direction of the beverage container, and the cooling guide has an arc-shaped or circular cross section so as to surround a periphery of the beverage container. In addition, the cooling guide surrounding the inner cavity of the storage chamber has the same cross-sectional shape along the height direction. Therefore, the cooling guide uniformly transfers the cold air to the surface of the beverage container.

The cooling guide provided in the inner cavity and surrounding the storage chamber is made of a metal material, and the cooling device includes the thermoelectric element, a cooling block, and a heat sink. At least a part of the cooling block is in contact with one side of the thermoelectric element and is disposed in close contact with the cooling guide, thereby connecting the thermoelectric element and the cooling guide.

The cooling device is provided with a heat insulating chamber surrounding the periphery of the thermoelectric element, and at least a part of the cooling block protrudes toward the inside of the heat insulating chamber to press the thermoelectric element toward the surface of the heat sink.

Further, a heat radiation fan is provided between the heat radiator and the cabinet, and the heat radiation fan discharges air flowing from the outside in a direction of the heat radiator. Therefore, the heat dissipation of the radiator can be smoothly realized.

An insulation panel is provided on a front surface of the inner chamber corresponding to a side opposite to the cooling device across the storage chamber, and the insulation panel surrounds the storage chamber together with the inner chamber.

An air inlet for allowing outside air to flow into the cooling device and an air outlet for allowing air to be discharged from the cooling device to the outside are opened in the rear surface of the cabinet, and a stay is projected to the outside of the cabinet in the rear surface of the cabinet to form an air flow space.

The spacer is provided at a position crossing between the air inlet and the air outlet, so as to prevent the air in the air outlet from flowing into the air inlet.

Effects of the invention

The refrigerator for beverages according to the present invention as described above has the following effects.

In the present invention, the cooling guide surrounding the beverage container is cooled by the cooling device, and of both side surfaces of the cooling block constituting the cooling device, a surface facing the thermoelectric element and a surface facing the cooling guide have areas of different sizes from each other. Thus, the cooling guide can be cooled rapidly by increasing the contact area between the cooling block and the cooling guide and increasing the cooling efficiency, or by contacting the cooling block with a larger thermoelectric element.

In the present invention, the beverage refrigerator includes a plurality of storage compartments, and the spaces between the storage compartments are filled with heat insulating portions, and a separate cooling device is provided for each storage compartment. Therefore, the temperatures of the respective storage chambers can be set to different temperatures, and thus the temperature of the beverage can be independently adjusted according to the nature of the beverage or the taste of the user, whereby the convenience of use can be improved.

In the present invention, the beverage container is stored in an upright state, and at least a part of the cooling device directly contacts the rear of the cooling guide surrounding the beverage container. Therefore, the depth of the refrigerator for beverage in the front-back direction can be shortened, thereby reducing the installation area of the refrigerator for beverage. The beverage refrigerator with reduced installation area can be installed in more diversified places, thereby improving the installation convenience.

Further, in the present invention, the cooling device cools not the entire space inside the refrigerator but the cooling guide itself around the periphery of the beverage container or the inner space (storage chamber) thereof, so that the beverage container can be cooled efficiently and uniformly, having an effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.

In particular, the cooling guide surrounds the side surfaces and the back surface of the beverage container and surrounds most of the beverage container in the height direction in the present invention. Therefore, the cooling device does not intensively cool a part of the beverage container but cools the entire beverage container, thereby enabling more uniform cooling of the beverage.

At this time, the cooling guide of the present invention itself constitutes a part of the inner wall defining the storage compartment, and the rear of the cooling guide is filled with an adiabatic material. Therefore, the cooling guide also functions as a partition wall for partitioning the storage compartment when the heat insulating material is foamed, so that the heat insulating portion can be easily manufactured.

In addition, the beverage refrigerator of the present invention is provided with a water discharge nozzle capable of discharging the beverage from the beverage container, so that the beverage can be discharged without opening the door. Therefore, the heat loss generated when the door is opened can be reduced, and the energy efficiency of the refrigerator for beverage can be improved.

In the present invention, since the heat insulating panel having the see-through portion is provided on the front surface of the beverage refrigerator, the storage compartment is exposed to the outside, and the cooling guide can constitute most of the inner wall of the storage compartment exposed to the outside. Therefore, the interior of the storage chamber seen from the outside is a continuous plane or curved surface formed by one material, and uniform aesthetic feeling is provided for consumers.

In the present invention, the cooling guide does not directly contact the heat insulation panel, and the end portion of the cooling guide is separated from the heat insulation panel. Thus, the temperature of the heat insulation panel is reduced by cooling the cold air of the guide, thereby preventing the phenomenon of frosting on the heat insulation panel.

In the present invention, the cooling block constituting the cooling device is thicker than the cooling guide and is lower in height than the cooling guide. Thus, the heat insulating portion having a sufficient thickness and height can be secured around the cooling block, and the heat insulating performance of the beverage refrigerator can be improved.

In addition, the beverage refrigerator of the present invention is provided with a cooling fan to suck the outside air and then discharge the air again, and the air suction port and the air discharge port are both disposed on the back surface of the cabinet. Therefore, as the air is discharged toward the front surface, i.e., the user, discomfort may be given to the user upon carelessness.

In this case, a spacer is provided on the back surface of the cabinet, and thus an air flow space is naturally formed between the beverage refrigerator and the wall surface of the installation place. This enables the air to flow more smoothly.

In addition, in the present invention, the stay located on the back surface of the cabinet is provided so as to cross between the air intake port and the air discharge port, so that the air discharged from the air discharge port can be prevented from immediately flowing into the air intake port, and the heat efficiency can be improved.

In addition, the stay provided on the back surface of the cabinet according to the present invention is a portion that can be held by a user, and thus can be used as a kind of handle. Therefore, even if no additional handle is arranged on the refrigerator for beverage, the user can easily move the refrigerator for beverage.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of one embodiment of the beverage refrigerator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rear structure of one embodiment of the beverage refrigerator of the present invention

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing how a beverage container is extracted from the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the components constituting one embodiment shown in fig. 1 in an exploded manner.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line II-II' of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of an inner case constituting one embodiment shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of an inner case constituting one embodiment shown in fig. 4 from a different angle from that of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the structure of a cooling guide constituting one embodiment shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 10 is a front view illustrating a structure in which a cooling guide constituting one embodiment shown in fig. 4 surrounds a beverage container.

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a structure of a cooling guide constituting one embodiment shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing the structure of another embodiment of a cooling guide constituting the beverage refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a plan view showing a structure of a further embodiment of a cooling guide constituting the beverage refrigerator of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the cooling device exploded in a member constituting the embodiment shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 15 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the cooling device shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the cooling device constituting the beverage refrigerator according to the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a rear structure of still another embodiment of a refrigerator for beverages of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view showing the components constituting the embodiment shown in fig. 17 in an exploded manner.

Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III' of fig. 17.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing the structure of an inner case constituting another embodiment shown in fig. 18.

Fig. 21 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the cooling apparatus shown in fig. 19.

Fig. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the cooling device shown in fig. 22.

Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing the structure of a cooling device in a member constituting another embodiment shown in fig. 18.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a part of embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When reference numerals are added to constituent elements of respective drawings, the same reference numerals are used as much as possible for the same constituent elements even though the drawings are illustrated in different drawings. In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that specific descriptions of related known structures or functions will interfere with understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the constituent elements of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, a, B, a, and B may be used. Such terms are used only to distinguish one constituent element from another constituent element, and the nature, order, sequence, and the like of the constituent elements are not limited by the terms. When a certain constituent element is referred to as being "connected", "coupled", or "coupled" to another constituent element, the constituent element may be directly connected or coupled to the other constituent element, or another constituent element may be "connected", "coupled", or "coupled" between the constituent elements.

An embodiment of a beverage refrigerator (hereinafter, referred to as a 'refrigerator') according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, a refrigerator for storing a vertically long beverage container B such as a wine bottle will be described as an example, but the refrigerator of the present invention can be applied to a refrigerator for cooling various beverages bottled in addition to wine bottles.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a cabinet 10 forms an external appearance of a refrigerator, and as shown in the drawings, the cabinet 10 has a small front and rear width. Thus, in the present embodiment, the bottom area of the refrigerator is narrow, and thus a wide installation area is not required, and thus the refrigerator can be placed on the floor or on a dining table or the like.

In the present embodiment, the cabinet 10 is formed in a substantially hexahedral shape, an installation space S (see fig. 6) is formed therein, and the

inner casings

30 and 40, the cooling device C, and the like described below are installed in the installation space S. Further, a storage chamber 32 is formed in the

inner cases

30 and 40 to store the beverage container B. For reference, fig. 3 shows the manner in which the beverage container B inserted into the cap assembly 90 is removed from the storage compartment 32.

The installation space S is an entire internal space of the cabinet 10, and the storage chamber 32 is a space provided inside the

inner housings

30 and 40. Therefore, the storage room 32 can be considered to be formed inside the installation space S. The storage chamber 32 is a space formed by joining a plurality of members, such as a cooling guide 40, described below, as a space for storing the beverage container B.

Fig. 4 shows an exploded state of the components constituting the above-described cabinet 10. The cabinet 10 includes a pair of side panels 11, a back panel 13, an upper cover 20, and a lower cover 26. The pair of side panels 11, the back panel 13, the upper cover 20, and the lower cover 26 are assembled to form an installation space S therein, thereby forming an external appearance of the refrigerator. An insulation panel 42 described below is provided on the front surface of the cabinet 10, and this will be described again later.

Referring to the rear panel 13 constituting the cabinet 10, an air intake port and an air discharge port are formed in the rear panel 13. The air inlet is a portion into which external air flows, and the air outlet is a portion from which internal air of the refrigerator is discharged to the outside. In the present embodiment, the air intake port is formed in an intake grill 15 attached to the back panel 13, and the air discharge port is formed in an exhaust grill 16 attached to the back panel 13. Of course, the suction grill 15 and the discharge grill 16 may be omitted, and the air suction port and the air discharge port may be formed directly in the back panel 13.

The back panel 13 is provided with a spacer 14. The stay 14 protrudes outward from the back panel 13, i.e., to the opposite side of the installation space S of the refrigerator. The spacer 14 is provided to keep a distance between the rear panel 13 and a wall surface of an installation place where the refrigerator is installed, and is formed to have a wide width in the left-right direction as shown in fig. 2. The spacer 14 naturally forms an air flow space between the back panel 13 and a wall surface of an installation site. Such a spreader 14 may also be used as a handle. That is, the user can move the refrigerator by holding the stay 14.

Referring again to fig. 4, the upper cover 20 is assembled to the upper sides of the pair of side plates 11 and the back plate 13 to form an upper surface of the installation space S. The upper cover 20 shields a remaining space above the installation space S except for an entrance of the storage chamber 32. In the present embodiment, the door 24 of the refrigerator is provided at the upper portion of the refrigerator, thereby being capable of selectively shielding the storage compartment 32, and the upper cover 20 may also perform a kind of frame function of providing the door 24.

The open hole 22 penetrates the center of the upper cover 20. The open hole 22 is connected to an inlet of a storage chamber 32 described below, and exposes the storage chamber 32 to the outside when the door 24 is opened. Fig. 3 shows how the beverage container B is taken out through the open hole 22. A sealing member 21 is provided around the open hole 22, and the sealing member 21 serves to seal between the upper surface of the upper cover 20 and the door 24 when the door 24 is closed.

The upper cover 20 is provided with a door 24. The door 24 selectively opens the open hole 22, and in the present embodiment, the door 24 is rotatably assembled to the upper cover 20 by a hinge 25. The door 24 is in a closed state in fig. 1 and 2, and the door 24 is in an open state in fig. 3. In contrast, the door 24 may be slidably assembled to the upper cover 20, or the door 24 may be omitted and the open hole 22 may be shielded only by the cover assembly 90 described below.

Although not shown, the door 24 may be formed by overlapping a plurality of members. A part of the components constituting the door 24 may be made of a heat insulating material to prevent the cool air in the storage chamber 32 from leaking through the door 24, and the door 24 may be made of a transparent or translucent material to allow the storage chamber 32 to be viewed from above.

A lower cover 26 is provided on the bottom side of the cabinet 10 opposite to the upper cover 20. The lower cover 26 constitutes a lower end surface of the cabinet 10 and has a flat structure. The lower cover 26 provides a surface on which the refrigerator is installed, and therefore, the bottom surface of the lower cover 26 is preferably formed to be flat.

A support plate 27 is formed on the lower cover 26. The support plate 27 is a portion protruding forward from the lower cover 26, and may be considered as a part of the support plate 27. The support plate 27 is located opposite to a water outlet nozzle 70 described below. Therefore, the beverage is poured into the cup when the beverage is extracted through the water outlet nozzle 70 in a state where the cup is placed on the above support plate 27.

The cabinet 10 is provided with

inner cases

30 and 40 inside. The

inner casings

30 and 40 are provided in the installation space S of the cabinet 10 and are surrounded by the cabinet 10. A storage chamber 32 is provided in the

inner housings

30 and 40, and a beverage container B is stored in the storage chamber 32. The storage chambers 32 of the

inner housings

30, 40 are plural, and the specific structure will be described below.

The structure of the

inner shells

30 and 40 is illustrated in detail in fig. 4 and 7. The

inner casings

30 and 40 have a three-dimensional structure in a form surrounding the storage chamber 32 with the storage chamber 32 positioned at the center as a reference. In the present embodiment, the

inner casings

30 and 40 may be regarded as a substantially hexahedral shape, but are not limited thereto. All or at least a part of the

inner casings

30 and 40 are made of a non-metallic material, and in the present embodiment, the remaining part excluding the cooling guide 40 joined to the

inner casings

30 and 40 is made of a non-metallic material such as a synthetic resin.

More specifically, the

inner housings

30, 40 described above include an internal cavity 30 and a cooling guide 40. In the present embodiment, the inner cavity 30 is made of a non-metallic material, and the

inner cavities

30 and 40 are combined with a cooling guide 40 made of a metallic material. Therefore, the inner cavity 30 is configured to have a more complicated structure than the cooling guide 40 by injection molding.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, the skeleton of the cavity 30 includes a pair of side surface portions 31a and a bottom portion 31b that connects the side surface portions 31a to form a bottom surface. A partition wall (34, see fig. 4 and 5) is provided between the pair of side surface parts 31a, and the partition wall 34 partitions the pair of side surface parts 31a into two parts.

The pair of side surface parts 31a is connected to a dividing part 31a'. The dividing portion 31a 'is a portion extending further from the side surface portion 31a toward the front surface of the cabinet 10, and the dividing portion 31a' is a portion to which an insulation panel 42 described below is brought into close contact. That is, the divided portion 31a' is located between the cooling guide 40 and the insulation panel 42 to prevent the insulation panel 42 from directly contacting the cooling guide 40.

As shown in fig. 8, the front side surface portion 31a is opened to form an opening 31c. The opening 31c is a window structure that opens to the front of the inner cavity 30, and the opening 31c is covered by an insulating panel 42. A storage room 32 is provided inside the opening 31c, and a cooling space 40c surrounded by a cooling guide 40 described below constitutes a part of the storage room 32. For reference, fig. 8 is a sectional view showing only a part of the structure of the

inner casings

30, 40 described above in order to well show the structure of the cooling guide 40.

On the other hand, a storage guide 35 is provided inside the cavity 30 surrounded by the pair of side surface portions 31a and the bottom portion 31b. The storage guide 35 may be connected to the side surface portion 31a or the bottom portion 31b, and in the present embodiment, the storage guide 35 is connected to the side surface portion 31a.

The storage guide 35 is provided at a position spaced upward from the bottom portion 31b. The storage guide 35 surrounds at least a part of the beverage container B, and a part of the storage chamber 32 is formed inside the storage guide 35. In this embodiment, the receiving guide 35 surrounds the periphery of the inlet portion Ba of the beverage container B.

As shown in fig. 6, the bottom portion 31b has a support base 33. The support base 33 is formed to protrude from the bottom portion 31b in the direction of the storage chamber 32, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The support base 33 is a portion for supporting the bottom surface of the beverage container B. Although not shown, the support base 33 is provided with a spring, and the support base 33 is elastically supported by the spring.

In the present embodiment, the storage guide 35 is located between the pair of side surface portions 31a and is provided at a position close to an upper portion of the cavity 30. The storage guide 35 extends in the height direction of the beverage container B, and is connected at its lower end to the cooling guide 40. The cooling guide 40 is connected to the housing guide 35 so as to have a continuous surface, and extends to the bottom portion 31b.

The storage guide 35 is provided in plural. In the present embodiment, 2 storage guides 35 are formed between the pair of side surface portions 31a. A partition wall 34 is provided between the pair of storage guides 35, and the partition wall 34 extends in the vertical direction to partition the two storage compartments 32. The partition wall 34 intersects with a distal end portion of a cooling guide 40 described below to support the cooling guide 40. That is, the accommodating guides 35 are provided in the cavity 30 in the number corresponding to the number of the cooling guides 40.

Referring to fig. 8, a front surface 36 of the storage guide 35 constitutes a front surface of the storage guide 35 as a portion facing the front of the cabinet 10. At this time, the front surface 36 of the storage guide 35 and the inner surface of the cabinet 10 are spaced apart from each other to form a mounting space 36a. The installation space 36a is a portion where a display 83 (see fig. 4) and the like are provided.

The storage guide 35 has a shape recessed rearward by the front surface portion 36, and the mounting space 36a is provided in the recessed portion. A part of the front surface portion 36 is formed to be inclined in a direction of reducing the width of the storage compartment 32 as approaching the upper portion, that is, the upper cover 20, and in the present embodiment, the lower portion of the front surface portion 36 is formed as an inclined surface inclined rearward and the upper portion extends in a vertical direction.

On the opposite side of the front face portion 36 of the storage guide 35, an expanding portion 36' extends in a direction to widen the entrance of the storage room 32. The expansion portion 36' widens the entrance of the storage chamber 32 toward the left and right and the rear as it approaches the upper end. That is, the expansion portion 36' is formed in a direction inclined so as to widen toward the left and right sides of the entrance of the storage room 32, that is, toward the side surface portion 31a of the cavity 30 and toward the rear, that is, toward the opposite side of the insulation panel 42.

The extension portion 36' serves to guide the beverage container B to be inserted into the center of the storage chamber 32 when the beverage container B is received in the storage chamber 32. By the expansion part 36', even if the user cannot insert the beverage container B exactly into the center of the storage chamber 32, the beverage container B can be naturally guided to the center of the storage chamber 32 along the expansion part 36'.

In this way, the extension portion 36' extends in a direction to widen the entrance of the storage compartment 32, but the front portion 36 is configured to recede toward the rear of the cabinet 10, so that the front portion 36 can reduce the width of the upper portion of the storage compartment 32 to some extent. This reduces the volume of the storage chamber 32, and the storage chamber 32 can be cooled more efficiently. The installation space S provided outside the expanded portion 36', i.e., on the opposite side of the storage compartment 32, is filled with a heat insulating portion G (see fig. 5). Such an aspect is shown in fig. 6.

An installation groove 37 is formed in the storage guide 35. The mounting groove 37 is formed on the inlet side of the storage guide 35 in a direction to widen the inlet of the storage guide 35. The mounting groove 37 is formed in a substantially circular arc shape into which a part of a cap assembly 90 described below is inserted. The shape of the mounting groove 37 is changed according to the shape of the cap assembly 90.

The cooling guide 40 is coupled to the inner cavity 30. The cooling guide 40 is coupled to a lower side of the receiving guide 35 to constitute a part of the

inner casings

30 and 40. Therefore, the cooling guide 40 constitutes a part of the

inner casings

30 and 40, and defines a part of the storage chamber 32. More specifically, the cooling guide 40 forms a part of the inner wall of the storage chamber 32. Here, the inner wall of the storage room 32 is an inner surface of the storage room 32 surrounding the storage room 32.

A part of the storage chamber 32 is formed inside when the cooling guide 40 is coupled to the receiving guide 35. Fig. 4 shows a state where the cooling guide 40 is separated from the cavity 30, but fig. 7 shows a state where the cooling guide 40 is coupled to a lower side of the accommodating guide 35 of the cavity 30.

More specifically, the

inner casings

30 and 40 define the storage compartment 32 together with the insulation panel 42, and the cooling guide 40 forms a part of the

inner casings

30 and 40. Therefore, the cooling guide 40 is also a portion defining a part of the storage room 32, and may constitute a part of the inner wall of the storage room 32.

The cooling guide 40 surrounds at least a part of the beverage containers B stored in the storage chamber 32 in an upright state, and partitions the storage chamber 32 and the heat insulating portion G. Here, the spaced means that the cooling guide 40 is located between the storage chamber 32 and the heat insulating portion G to prevent them from being directly connected to each other. Therefore, when the cooling guide 40 separates the storage room 32 from the heat insulating portion G, the heat insulating portion G is not exposed to the storage room 32 side.

When the cooling guide 40 is coupled to the storage guide 35, the cooling guide 40 and the storage guide 35 are continuously connected. Therefore, the storage chamber 32 is formed as a continuous space by the storage guide 35 and the cooling guide 40. In this embodiment, it can be considered that the periphery of the inlet Ba of the beverage container B, i.e., the upper portion of the beverage container B is surrounded by the housing guide 35, and the main body of the beverage container B is surrounded by the cooling guide 40.

More specifically, the storage guide 35 and the cooling guide 40 form a part of the storage chamber 32. The remaining part of the storage compartment 32 is covered by the bottom 31b, the insulation panel 42 and the lid assembly 90 described below. As a result, the storage chamber 32 is a sealed space formed by the

inner casings

30 and 40 including the cooling guide 40 and the cabinet 10.

The cooling guide 40 is configured to surround at least a part of the storage chamber 32, and functions to reduce the temperature of the storage chamber 32. The cooling guide 40 is directly connected to a cooling device C described below to adjust the temperature, and when the temperature of the cooling guide 40 is lowered by, for example, the operation of the cooling device C, the temperature of the storage room 32, which is the space inside the cooling guide 40, is also lowered.

For this reason, the cooling guide 40 is preferably made of a material having high thermal conductivity. In the present embodiment, the cooling guide 40 is made of aluminum. In contrast, the cooling guide 40 may be made of various materials such as aluminum alloy, copper, or copper alloy.

The cooling guide 40 has a substantially circular arc-shaped cross section. The cooling guide 40 is opened forward, and thus a part of the storage room 32 is also opened forward, but a heat insulation panel 42 described below is assembled in front of the storage room 32 to shield the storage room 32. In contrast, the cooling guide 40 may have a circular cross section instead of an arc shape so as to completely surround the storage chamber 32 or may have a polygonal cross section.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 9, the cooling guide 40 includes a first guide 40a and a second guide 40b. A cooling device 50 is connected to the first guide 40a, and the first guide 40a forms a rear part of a cooling space 40c formed by the cooling guide 40. The cooling space 40c is a space surrounded by the cooling guide 40, and may be considered as a part of the storage room 32. The cooling space 40c is not a sealed space formed only by the cooling guide 40, but is a part of the storage space 32, and thus, as the storage space 32 is sealed, a sealed space is formed as a result.

The second guide 40b is connected to the first guide 40a and extends toward the insulation panel 42, which is the front surface of the cabinet 10. The second guide 40b is a portion surrounding both side surfaces of the cooling space 40c. Of course, in the present embodiment, the first guide 40a and the second guide 40b are integrally formed with each other, but such division may be performed based on the shape and position.

In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first guide 40a portion of the cooling guide 40 is not a polygonal shape, but is formed in an arc shape, and the first guides 40a extend in the same shape along the height direction. That is, the cooling guide 40 surrounding the cooling space 40c has the same cross-sectional shape along the height direction. This makes it possible to prevent a phenomenon in which a temperature difference is large for each portion of the cooling guide 40 by distributing the temperature uniformly over the entire portion of the cooling guide 40.

The surface of the second guide 40b may be formed not as a curved surface but as a flat surface. In the present embodiment, the second guides 40b have a pair of flat plate structures, and the pair of second guides 40b extend in parallel with each other at both ends of the first guide 40a to form the cooling space 40c.

Referring to fig. 9, the second guides 40b are formed as a pair and extend forward from the first guides 40 a. In this way, when the pair of second guides 40b extends parallel to the side plate 11 in the forward direction, the range in which the beverage container located in the cooling space 40c is exposed in the forward direction is increased. More precisely, in the present embodiment, the pair of second guides 40b are respectively connected to both side ends of the insulation panel 42, so that the view of the user is not disturbed by the cooling guides 40 when the inside of the refrigerator is viewed through the insulation panel 42.

In order to effectively cool the beverage container B, the cooling guide 40 preferably has a height of at least 1/2 or more around the beverage container B with respect to the height direction. Referring to fig. 6, in the present embodiment, the height H1a of the cooling guide 40 is higher than the height of the body, which is the remaining portion except for the inlet Ba portion of the beverage container B, to mostly surround the portion in which the beverage is contained in the beverage container B. The sum of the height H1a of the cooling guide 40 and the height H1B of the receiving guide 35 is higher than the entire height of the beverage container B.

Referring to fig. 10, the height H1a of the cooling guide 40 is higher than the body of the beverage container B. Here, the body of the beverage container B is a portion below the inlet (Ba) of the beverage container B and the shoulder (shoulder) Bb on the lower side of the bottle neck (neck), and is indicated by oblique lines in fig. 10. In the present embodiment, the height H1a of the cooling guide 40 is higher than the body of the beverage container B, but the height H1a of the cooling guide 40 may be the same as the height of the body of the beverage container B.

Preferably, the lower end of the cooling guide 40 extends below the lower end of the beverage container B or has at least the same height as the lower end of the beverage container B. Thereby, the cooling guide 40 transmits the cool air to the entire height section of the main body of the beverage container B.

On the other hand, referring to fig. 11, the first guide 40a of the cooling guide 40 is disposed at the rear side of the beverage container B, and the second guide 40B is disposed beside the beverage container B to surround the beverage container B. Thus, the cooling space 40c surrounding the beverage container B becomes a part of the storage chamber 32. The beverage container B is in a state of being opened forward, and this portion is shielded by the heat insulating panel 42 described above.

Preferably, the second guide 40B of the cooling guide 40 is preferably surrounded to the front side with respect to the center of the beverage container B. In fig. 11, L1 is a virtual line that crosses the center of the beverage container B, and the second guide 40B projects further forward, i.e., forward of the cabinet 10, than the center line. Thus, the cooling space 40c is sufficiently large to allow the cool air to be also delivered in the right and left directions of the beverage container B.

Fig. 12 shows another embodiment of a cooling guide 40 constituting the present invention. In fig. 12, an angle α formed between both end portions of the cooling guide 40 facing the front surface of the cabinet 10 and the center of the cooling space 40c, i.e., the center of the beverage container B is shown. In this case, an included angle α formed between both end portions of the cooling guide 40 and the center of the beverage container B is preferably 30 to 270 degrees. Thus, the cooling guide 40 uniformly transmits the cool air around the beverage container B sufficiently.

Referring to FIG. 13, there is shown yet another embodiment of a cooling guide 40 that constitutes the present invention. As shown in the figure, the second guide 40b of the cooling guide 40 further extends in a direction to reduce the width of the cooling space 40c. In this way, the front surface area of the storage chamber 32 viewed forward through the insulation panel 42 can be narrowed, but the area of the cooling space 40c surrounding the beverage container B can be widened.

On the other hand, referring back to fig. 5, the cooling guide 40 extends along the side panel 11 and the back panel 13 constituting the cabinet 10 to surround a part of the beverage container B stored in the storage compartment 32. That is, the second guides 40b of the cooling guides 40 extend parallel to the side panels 11, and the first guides 40a have a shape bent to face the back panel 13.

The cooling guide 40 extends along at least two of four surfaces constituting the side surface of the cabinet 10. Here, the side surfaces of the cabinet 10 refer to the pair of side panels 11, the back panel 13, and the heat insulation panel 42. In the present embodiment, the cooling guide 40 extends along the pair of side panels 11 and the back panel 13, which are three of the four sides constituting the side surface of the cabinet 10, but may extend along only one side panel 11 and the back panel 13 or along only the heat insulation panel 42 and one side panel 11.

If the cabinet 10 is not a structure having 4 side surfaces but a cylindrical shape, the side surfaces cannot be distinguished. In this case, although there is a possibility that the opening direction may be different between the pair of second guides 40B of the cooling guide 40, as described above with reference to fig. 12, when the angle α h formed between the end portions of the pair of second guides 40B and the center of the beverage container B is 30 to 270 degrees, a sufficient cold air transfer area can be secured.

In the present embodiment, the end portion of the second guide 40b of the cooling guide 40 is separated from the insulation panel 42. Referring to fig. 5, an end portion of the above-described second guide 40b facing a surface of the second panel 43 constituting the insulation panel 42 is separated from the second panel 43. The space between the second panel 43 and the end portion of the second guide 40b is filled with a part of the cavity 30 provided in the installation space S, more precisely, a divided portion 31a' of the side surface portion 31a.

In this way, the phenomenon of frost formation on the insulation panel 42 is prevented by the cooling guide 40 being relatively cooler than the outside air. That is, since the cooling guide 40 does not directly contact the heat insulation panel 42, the temperature of the heat insulation panel 42 is lowered by the cold air of the cooling guide 40, thereby preventing the frost from forming on the heat insulation panel 42.

In the present embodiment, the

inner casings

30 and 40 are constituted by the inner cavity 30 and the cooling guide 40, but the

inner casings

30 and 40 may be constituted by only the cooling guide 40. That is, the inner cavity 30 is omitted, and only the cooling guide 40 functions as the

inner shells

30 and 40.

On the other hand, the front surfaces of the

inner casings

30 and 40 are opened, the storage chamber 32 is also opened forward, and the opened portion is shielded by the heat insulating panel 42. The heat insulation panel 42 is provided on the front surface of the

inner casings

30 and 40 corresponding to the side opposite to the cooling device C through the storage chamber 32, and has a flat plate structure made of a heat insulation material.

The insulation panel 42 surrounds the storage compartment 32 together with the

inner shells

30, 40. More specifically, the cooling guide 40, the insulation panel 42 and the bottom 31b together form a storage compartment 32, and an upper portion of the storage compartment 32 is selectively shielded by the cover assembly 90 and the door 24. As a result, the insulation panel 42 defines the storage compartment 32 together with the

inner shells

30, 40 and the cover assembly 90.

The insulating panel 42 is made of at least one insulating glass. In the present embodiment, the heat insulating panel 42 is composed of a first panel 43 and a second panel 44, which are each heat insulating glass. Therefore, the user can observe the storage chamber 32 through the transparent first panel 43 and the transparent second panel 44, and observe the beverage container B stored in the storage chamber 32. The user can confirm the kind of the beverage stored in the storage chamber 32 through the heat insulation panel 42. An empty space may be formed between the first panel 43 and the second panel 44, and the empty space may be evacuated.

In this case, in the present embodiment, the first panel 43 is larger than the second panel 44. A portion where the first panel 43 and the second panel 44 are overlapped with each other becomes a see-through portion which is a kind of window through which the user can observe the storage compartment 32 from the outside. The height of the see-through part is greater than or equal to the height of the cooling guide 40. In this way, the appearance of the inside of the storage room 32 viewed through the see-through portion is mostly occupied by the cooling guide 40, and the appearance is good. Of course, since the cooling guide 40 has a height at least as high as the see-through portion, a good cooling efficiency can be achieved by the cooling guide 40.

The first panel 43 and the second panel 44 constituting the heat insulation panel 42 are provided on the installation frame 41. The installation frame 41 (see fig. 4) is installed on the front surface of the side surface part 31a of the cavity 30, and more precisely, the installation frame 41 is closely attached to the divided part 31a' extending from the side surface part 31a. In this embodiment, the first panel 43 is disposed inside the installation frame 41. Also, the second panel 44 is directly coupled to the front surface of the inner cavity 30. Of course, the heat insulating panel 42 may be formed of only one plate or 3 or more layers.

In contrast, the heat insulation panel 42 is not formed of a multi-layer panel, but simply formed of a front panel forming the front surface of the cabinet 10.

The storage compartments 32 formed in the

inner casings

30 and 40 are formed as a plurality of spaces independent of each other by being partitioned from each other by the cooling guide 40 coupled to the inner cavity 30 and the heat insulating part G surrounding the outside of the cooling guide 40. As described above, the storage chamber 32 is configured by the

inner casings

30 and 40, the insulation panel 42, and the cover assembly 90, and is configured as a plurality of storage chambers 32 independent of each other.

Fig. 5 shows the appearance of the storage room 32 partitioned into 2 different rooms from each other. The two storage compartments 32 are surrounded by the separate

inner housings

30, 40, respectively, which are divided therebetween. The symbols Ka and Kb are used to distinguish the two storage chambers 32 independent of each other.

More precisely, there is a spaced thermal insulation portion Ga between two cooling guides 40 adjacent to each other. The heat insulating portion G may be present in a different portion of the installation space S, but a partition heat insulating portion Ga may be formed in a portion corresponding to a space between the two storage compartments 32. Therefore, it is possible to prevent heat from being transmitted to the different cooling guide 40 sides adjacent to each other, thereby more effectively achieving independent cooling of the respective storage compartments 32. Here, the heat insulating portion G is formed by filling a foamed heat insulating portion G such as urethane resin, or is formed by inserting a heat insulating portion G, which is a separate member, into an installation space S, which is an empty space, or is formed as an empty space.

The heat insulating portion G is filled between the outside of the cooling guide 40 and the inner surface of the cabinet 10. That is, when the heat insulating portion G is filled, the cooling guide 40 performs a function of partitioning a space together with the housing guide 35 so as to prevent the filling liquid from flowing toward the storage chamber 32 side.

Next, referring to the cooling device C, the cooling device C is installed in the installation space S to reduce the temperature of the storage room 32. When the temperature of the storage chamber 32 decreases, the temperature of the beverage container B stored in the storage chamber 32 also decreases. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the cooling device C is in contact with the

inner casings

30 and 40 surrounding the storage chamber 32 to improve cooling performance.

The cooling device C may be disposed adjacent to the storage compartment 32 in order to reduce the temperature of the storage compartment 32, and may be disposed at various positions except between the storage compartment 32 and the insulation panel 42. For example, the cooling device C may be disposed on the left and right sides of the storage chamber 32 or behind the storage chamber 32.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 4, the cooling device C is provided behind the storage compartment 32 on the opposite side of the heat insulation panel 42. When the cooling device C is disposed behind the storage compartment 32, one side of the cooling device C faces the suction grill 15 and the discharge grill 16 provided in the back surface plate 13, and thus cooling efficiency can be improved. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the widest installation space S is secured behind the storage room 32, the cooling device C can be easily installed.

The cooling device C is formed in plurality. More precisely, the number of the cooling devices C is the same as the number of the storages 32, and in the present embodiment, the storages 32 are formed in 2, and thus the number of the cooling devices C is also formed in 2. The plurality of cooling devices C each perform an action of reducing the temperature of each storage room 32. Therefore, the internal temperatures of the plurality of storage chambers 32 can be set to be different from each other, and thus independent cooling can be performed. Of course, in the case where only one cooling guide 40 and one storage chamber 32 are provided, only one cooling device C is provided.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the cold air generated in the cooling device C moves in the direction of the cooling guide 40 (arrow (1)), is transferred along the surface of the cooling guide 40 (arrow (2)) to cool the entire cooling guide 40, and the cooled cooling guide 40 supplies the cold air in the direction of the storage room 32 (arrow (3)) to cool the storage room 32.

Referring to the structure of the cooling device C, the cooling device C includes a thermoelectric element 55, and the thermoelectric element 55 applies a peltier effect to keep the storage compartment 32 at a low temperature. The cooling device C connects the low temperature part of the thermoelectric element 55 to the direction of the storage chamber 32, the high-temperature portion has a structure for efficiently cooling the storage chamber 32 by heat dissipation.

Referring to fig. 10, the cooling device C is configured by assembling a plurality of components, specifically. The cooling device C includes an element case 51, and the element case 51 constitutes a skeleton of the cooling device C. The element case 51 has a block shape with a receiving space 53 passing through the center thereof. A plurality of members represented by thermoelectric elements 55 are provided in the housing space 53. The housing space 53 is provided inside a frame portion 51a protruding from the center of the device case 51 toward the thermoelectric device 55.

The element case 51 is made of a material that can minimize heat loss due to heat transfer. For example, the element case 51 is made of a non-metal material such as plastic. The above-described element housing 51 also functions to prevent heat of the heat sink 58 from being transferred to the cooling block 57 together with the heat insulating block 60 described below. The symbol 52 is provided in plural as a fastening boss for fixing the element case 51, and some of them may be assembled with other components to the element case 51.

The housing space 53 is provided with a thermoelectric element 55. The thermoelectric element 55 includes a low temperature portion and a high temperature portion, which are determined according to the direction of voltage applied to the thermoelectric element 55. The low-temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55 is disposed closer to the cooling guide 40 than the high-temperature portion. The low temperature portion may be in contact with a cooling block 57 described later, and the high temperature portion may be in contact with the radiator 58. The cooling block 57 cools the cooling guide 40, and the heat can be dissipated from the radiator 58. Reference numeral 56 denotes a cable for applying power to the thermoelectric element 55.

The cooling block 57 is in contact with the thermoelectric element 55. The cooling block 57 is positioned between the thermoelectric element 55 and the cooling guide 40, and one side thereof is in contact with the cooling block 57 and the opposite side thereof is in contact with the cooling guide 40. Therefore, the cooling block 57 transfers the cold air of the low temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55 to the cooling guide 40.

The cooling block 57 has a substantially hexahedral three-dimensional shape, and of both side surfaces of the cooling block 57, a first surface 57aa (see fig. 15) facing the thermoelectric element 55 and a second surface 57ba facing the cooling guide 40 have areas having different sizes from each other. In the present embodiment, the second surface 57ba is relatively wider than the first surface 57aa, so that the cool air of the thermoelectric element 55 can be transmitted to a wide area of the cooling guide 40, and the area of the first surface 57aa in contact with the thermoelectric element 55 is relatively small to improve the space utilization rate.

On the contrary, the second surface 57ba may have a relatively narrower area than the first surface 57 aa. In this case, the cooling guide 40 is rapidly cooled by connecting a larger thermoelectric element 55 to the relatively wide first surface 57aa or by bringing a plurality of thermoelectric elements 55 into contact with each other.

In the present embodiment, the first surface 57aa of the cooling block 57 directly contacts the thermoelectric element 55, and the second surface 57ba, which is the opposite surface of the cooling block 57, directly contacts the cooling guide 40. In contrast, another carrier may be present between the first surface 57aa and the thermoelectric element 55 or between the second surface 57ba and the cooling guide 40. Here, the carrier is made of a material having high thermal conductivity.

On the other hand, a first surface 57aa of the cooling block 57 in contact with the thermoelectric element 55 and a second surface 57ba of the cooling block 57 facing the cooling guide 40 have different shapes from each other. In the present embodiment, a second surface 57ba of the cooling block 57 facing the cooling guide 40 has a curved surface shape, and a first surface 57aa facing the thermoelectric element 55 from the cooling block 57 has a planar shape. In this way, the first surface 57aa and the second surface 57ba are formed in accordance with the surface shapes of the thermoelectric element 55 and the cooling guide 57, respectively, which are in contact with each other, thereby increasing the contact area with the object. Of course, when the surface of the cooling guide 40 has a planar structure, the surface of the cooling block 57 may be formed to be planar, and the first surface 57aa may be formed to have a curved surface shape, not a planar shape.

In the present embodiment, the cooling block 57 includes a first block 57a in contact with the thermoelectric element 55 and a second block 57b in contact with the cooling guide 40. The first block 57a and the second block 57b are formed in different shapes from each other with reference to a step surface 57 k. In this case, the first block 57a and the second block 57b may be integrally formed or may be separate members.

The first block 57a has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the second block 57b. The second block 57b is also substantially hexahedral, but has a curved surface facing the second surface 57ba of the cooling guide 40.

The first block 57a protrudes from the cooling block 57 toward the housing space 53 of the element case 51. The first block 57a has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. A first surface 57aa, which is a surface of the first block 57a, is a portion in close contact with the thermoelectric element 55, and the thermoelectric element 55 is fixed between the first block 57a and the heat sink 58 by pressing the thermoelectric element 55 toward the heat sink 58 by the first block 57 a.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 11, the entire thickness T2 of the cooling block 57 is thicker than the thickness T1 of the cooling guide 40. For reference, the thickness herein refers to a width of the cabinet 10 in the front-rear direction. Thus, the heat insulation portion G having a sufficient thickness and height can be secured around the cooling block 57, and thus the heat insulation performance of the refrigerator can be improved.

When the thickness T2 of the cooling block 57 is greater than the thickness T1 of the cooling lead 40, the cooling block 57 can maintain a distance between the cooling lead 40 and the thermoelectric element 55 sufficiently, thereby keeping a temperature difference between the two regions to a certain degree or more. The unexplained reference symbol T3 denotes the thickness of the thermoelectric element 55, and the thickness T3 of the thermoelectric element 55 may be variously set.

In the present embodiment, the thickness T2b of the second block 57b is thicker than the thickness T2a of the first block 57 a. The second block 57b has a larger cross-sectional area than the first block 57a, and the second block 57b has a larger thickness. As described above, when the second block 57b is relatively thicker, the cooling block 57 can sufficiently secure a distance between the cooling guide 40 and the thermoelectric element 55, and it is advantageous to maintain a temperature difference between two regions to a certain degree or more by a wide cross-sectional area of the second block 57b.

Referring to fig. 6, the height H2 of the cooling block is lower than the height H1a of the cooling guide. The higher the height H2 of the cooling block 57 is, the smaller the area occupied by the heat insulating portion G is to cause a reduction in heat insulating efficiency, so that the height H1a of the cooling guide is formed to be relatively higher in the present embodiment. Therefore, the height of the heat insulating portion G around the periphery of the cooling block 57 can be made higher. For reference, the installation space S is illustrated as an empty space in fig. 6, but the installation space S may be filled with the heat insulating portion G.

A different configuration of the cooling block 57 is shown in fig. 16. As shown in the embodiment of fig. 12, the first block 57a and the second block 57b constituting the cooling block 57 have the same cross-sectional area without steps. That is, the cooling block 57 may be a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, a polygonal prism, or a cylinder.

However, in this case, the first surface 57aa of the first block 57a and the second surface (not shown) of the second block 57b are formed to have different shapes and areas. Since the second surface is in close contact with the cooling guide 40 having a curved surface shape, the second surface is also a curved surface shape, and the first surface 57aa is formed in a planar shape so as to be in surface contact with the surface of the thermoelectric element 55.

On the other hand, a heat sink 58 is provided on the opposite side of the cooling block 57 with the thermoelectric element 55 interposed therebetween. The heat sink 58 is in contact with the high-temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55, thereby functioning to dissipate heat from the high-temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55. A heat radiation fan 65 described below is coupled to the heat sink 58, whereby the heat sink 58 can be radiated by the heat radiation fan 65.

Referring to the structure of the heat sink 58, the heat sink 58 includes a plate-shaped heat radiating plate (not shown) and a plurality of heat radiating pins 59. The plurality of heat dissipation pins 59 are stacked in a state separated from the adjacent heat dissipation pins 59. The heat dissipation plate is formed in a thin plate shape and is coupled to the plurality of heat dissipation pins 59 so as to be in contact therewith.

The heat radiating plate further includes a component contact plate 58a which is in contact with the thermoelectric component 55. The area of the element contact plate 58a is smaller than that of the heat radiating plate. For example, the element contact plate 58a has a surface area substantially the same as the surface of the thermoelectric element 55. The element contact plate 58a is exposed in the direction of the thermoelectric element 55 through the accommodation space 53 of the element case 51.

The cooling device C further includes a heat insulating block 60 surrounding the thermoelectric element 55. The thermoelectric element 55 is located in the heat insulating block 60. The heat insulating block 60 is provided with an element mounting hole 61 opened in the front-rear direction, and the thermoelectric element 55 is positioned in the element mounting hole 61.

The thickness of the heat insulating block 60 in the front-rear direction is greater than the thickness of the thermoelectric element 55. The heat insulating block 60 serves to prevent heat of the thermoelectric element 55 from being transferred to the periphery of the thermoelectric element 55, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the thermoelectric element 55. Since the periphery of the thermoelectric element 55 is surrounded by the heat insulating block 60, the heat transferred from the cooling block 57 to the heat sink 58 is not dissipated to the periphery.

A back plate 62 is provided on the back surface of the heat insulating block 60. The back plate 62 is assembled to the heat insulating block 60 around the periphery of the thermoelectric element 55. The back plate 62 also serves to prevent heat of the thermoelectric element 55 from being transferred to the periphery of the thermoelectric element 55, similarly to the heat insulating block 60, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the thermoelectric element 55. The back plate 62 is located in the housing space 53 of the element case 51.

A gasket 63 is coupled to a portion where the heat insulating block 60 and the cooling block 57 are in close contact with each other. The gasket 63 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The gasket 63 is formed in a square ring shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be deformed according to the shape of the heat insulation block 60. Here, the gasket 63 serves as a sealing member to prevent heat from being radiated between the heat insulating block 60 and the cooling block 57. Reference numeral 64 denotes a holder for fixing the washer 63.

A radiator fan 65 is coupled to the rear of the radiator 58. The heat radiation fan 65 is disposed to face the heat sink 58, and blows the outside air flowing in through the air inlet to the heat sink 58. The heat dissipation fan 65 includes a fan 67, and a fan housing surrounding the outside of the fan 67. For example, the fan 67 may be an axial fan. The fan 67 is disposed separately from the heat sink 58. In this way, the flow resistance of the air blown by the heat radiation fan 65 is minimized, and the heat exchange efficiency in the radiator 58 can be improved. The heat dissipation fan 65 is fixed to the heat sink 58 by fixing pins 66.

Although not shown, a fuse is connected to the thermoelectric element 55, and when an overvoltage is applied to the thermoelectric element 55, the fuse can cut off the voltage applied to the thermoelectric element 55.

At this time, referring to fig. 5, the periphery of the connection portion between the cooling device C and the cooling guide 40 of the

inner casings

30 and 40 is filled with the heat insulating portion G. Therefore, the heat insulating portion G serves to prevent heat of the thermoelectric element 55 from being transferred to the periphery of the thermoelectric element 55, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the thermoelectric element 55. As a result, the heat insulating block 60 performs a first heat insulating function by surrounding the periphery of the thermoelectric element 55, and further performs a second heat insulating function by surrounding the periphery of the cooling device C by the heat insulating portion G.

Referring to fig. 4 and 6, the cabinet 10 has a water outlet nozzle 70. The water discharge nozzle 70 is a part for taking out the beverage from the beverage container B stored in the storage chamber 32, and in the present embodiment, the water discharge nozzle 70 is provided on the front surface of the cabinet 10. The number of the water discharge nozzles 70 is the same as the number of the storage chambers 32, and in the present embodiment, the number of the water discharge nozzles 70 is 2. The respective water outlet nozzles 70 are used to supply the beverages stored in the beverage containers B of the storage chambers 32 different from each other.

The water discharge nozzle 70 includes a connection pipe 72 connected to the cabinet 10 and a water discharge head 71 connected to the connection pipe 72 and extending in a height direction of the refrigerator. A discharge port 75 is formed in the outlet head 71, and the beverage contained in the beverage container B is supplied through the discharge port 75.

For reference, although not shown, when air is injected into the beverage container B to increase the internal pressure of the beverage container B, the beverage in the beverage container B is supplied to the outside through the connection pipe 72 and the discharge port 75. For this purpose, an air pump is provided in the installation space S, and the air pump increases the pressure inside the beverage container B through a gas supply pipe.

A front panel 80 is assembled adjacent to the water discharge nozzle 70, and a display 83 is provided on the front panel 80. The front panel 80 is provided on the upper portion of the front surface of the cabinet 10 and has a flat plate shape. In the present embodiment, the front panel 80 is located inside the second panel 44 located outside the insulation panel 42 described above, but the height of the second panel 44 may be lower and the remaining part may be filled with the front panel 80.

The front panel 80 has a display 83 thereon. The display 83 provides information of the refrigerator or an interface for inputting commands, and in the present embodiment, the display 83 is configured to allow touch input. The display 83 displays various information such as the temperature of the storage room 32, the storage time of the stored beverage, and the type of the beverage, and the user can input a desired temperature of the storage room 32, the brightness of the interior illumination, the turning on/off of the power supply of the refrigerator, and the like.

In this case, the display 83 is provided in the installation space 36a described above. Referring to fig. 6, a mounting space 36a, which is an empty space, is provided behind the front panel 80, and a display 83 may be provided therein. Of course, in addition to the display 83, a circuit board and a wire harness for performing control may be provided in the installation space 36a.

The front surface plate 80 is provided at the same height as the water discharge nozzle 70. More specifically, the front panel 80 is formed with a through hole (not shown) through which the connection pipe 72 of the water discharge nozzle 70 passes, and the connection pipe 72 is connected to the inside of the storage chamber 32 through the through hole.

The inlet Ba of the beverage container B is inserted into the cap assembly 90 in an open state. The cap assembly 90 serves to block the inlet Ba of the beverage container B and also serves to shield the open hole 22 located at the center of the upper cap 20. When the user lifts the cap assembly 90, the beverage container B inserted into the cap assembly 90 is also lifted to the outside of the storage compartment 32, and the beverage container B may be inserted into the cap assembly 90 and then stored in the storage compartment 32. Thus, the above-described cap assembly 90 may also be used as a kind of handle.

Referring to the structure of the cap assembly 90, the cap assembly 90 includes a cap plate 91 covering the open hole 22, and a press-fitting portion 93 extending downward from the cap plate 91 and into which the inlet Ba of the beverage container B is inserted. The handle portion 95 is rotatably attached to the cover plate 91, and when the handle portion 95 is lifted by rotating as shown in fig. 3, a user can hold the handle portion 95.

The cover plate 91 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the open hole 22 and may have a flat plate structure. As shown in fig. 6, the press-fitting portion 93 provided in the cover plate 91 projects downward from the cover plate 91 to the inside of the open hole 22, more precisely, into the inside of the storage compartment 32 to some extent. The inlet Ba of the beverage container B is inserted into and shielded from the press-fitting portion 93.

When the beverage container B is inserted into the cap assembly 90 and moved, the handle portion 95 is used in an upright state as shown in fig. 3, and the handle portion 95 is rotated to form a continuous plane with the cover plate 91 after the beverage container B is stored in the storage chamber 32. That is, the handle portion 95 may be considered to constitute a part of the cover plate 91. At this time, although not shown, when the handle portion 95 is rotated and lifted as shown in fig. 3, a part of the handle portion 95 deforms the press-fitting portion 93 and is forcibly pressed and fixed to the inside of the press-fitting portion 93 from the bottle inlet.

The cover plate 91 has a beverage supply pipe (not shown) therein. One side of the beverage supply pipe is inserted into the beverage container B, and the opposite side is connected to the water outlet nozzle 70, thereby serving to transfer the beverage of the beverage container B to the water discharge nozzle side.

In addition, when a gas supply pipe (not shown) connected to an air pump is formed inside the cover plate 91 in addition to the beverage supply pipe, the gas supply pipe injects a gas into an inner space (empty space) of the beverage container B to increase the internal pressure of the beverage container B or injects an inert gas to prevent the beverage from being oxidized.

Referring to fig. 15, the process of cooling the storage chamber 32 is as follows: first, when power is applied to the thermoelectric element 55, cold air generated in a low-temperature portion (left side of the thermoelectric element 55 with reference to the drawing) is transmitted to the cooling block 57 (arrow (1)). Actually, the cooling block 57 and the low temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55 exchange heat with each other, but the direction of the cold air is shown here.

When the temperature of the cooling block 57 is lowered, the entire temperature of the cooling guide 40 in contact with the cooling block 57 is lowered. By forming the second surface 57ba facing the cooling guide 40 from the cooling block 57 into such a curved surface, a sufficient contact area with the cooling guide 40 can be ensured, and therefore heat exchange between the cooling guide 40 and the cooling block 57 can be efficiently performed.

The cooling guide 40 is cooled down along the surface direction (arrow (2)), and the entire cooling guide 40 can be cooled because the cooling guide 40 is made of a material having a high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. When the cooling guide 40 is cooled, the cooling guide 40 exchanges heat with the air inside the storage compartment 32, thereby cooling the storage compartment 32.

The cooling guide 40 has a curved shape surrounding at least a portion of the storage chamber 32 and surrounding the surface of the beverage container B, and thus can effectively transmit cold air in the direction of the surface of the beverage container B (arrow (3)). That is, the cooling device C cools the cooling guide 40 itself around the periphery of the beverage container B, rather than cooling the entire space inside the refrigerator, so that the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator can be improved.

Next, a process of radiating heat from the cooling device C will be described with reference to fig. 6. The air flowing in through the air inlet provided in the suction grill 15 is discharged in the direction of the radiator 58 by the radiator fan 65 (arrow a). When the outside air is sent in the direction of the heat sink 58, the temperature of the heat sink 58 in close contact with the high-temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55 decreases, and at this time, the heat sink 58 has a plurality of heat dissipation pins 59, so that a very wide contact area with the outside air can be secured.

Then, the cooling device C radiates heat, and the heated air is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator again (arrow B). More precisely, the air inside the refrigerator is discharged through the air discharge port located at the above discharge grill 16. In this embodiment, the air discharge port is located above the back plate 13, and therefore the air is discharged to the upper side, but the air discharge port may be located below the back plate 13.

In this case, since the spacer 14 positioned on the back panel 13 secures a distance between the wall surface and the back panel 13, the inflow and outflow of air can be smoothly performed.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator has 2 storage rooms 32, and the cooling device C is separately provided in each storage room 32. And the above-described cooling devices C can be controlled independently of each other. Therefore, the set temperatures of the storage compartments 32 can be set to different temperatures, and for example, when the beverage is wine, an appropriate temperature value can be set according to the type of wine or the like. That is, the user can adjust the temperature of the beverage according to the nature of the beverage or his own taste.

Another embodiment is illustrated in fig. 17-23. The same portions as those in the above embodiments are not described, and the portions having differences are mainly described. First, fig. 17 illustrates a rear structure of a refrigerator.

As shown in the drawing, the back plate 13 is formed with a pair of suction grills 15 forming an air suction port, and a discharge grill 16 forming an air discharge port is provided below the suction grills 15. The pair of suction grilles 15 is provided at positions corresponding to the pair of cooling devices C. Of course, the suction grill 15 and the discharge grill 16 may be omitted, and the air suction port and the air discharge port may be directly provided in the back surface plate 13.

The back plate 13 is provided with a spacer 14. The stay 14 protrudes outward from the back panel 13, i.e., to the opposite side of the installation space S of the refrigerator. The spacer 14 is formed to be spaced apart from the rear panel 13 and a wall surface of an installation place where the refrigerator is installed, and is formed to be wide in the left-right direction as shown in fig. 17. The spacer 14 naturally forms an air flow space between the back panel 13 and a wall surface of an installation site. Such a spreader 1 is also used as a kind of handle. That is, the user can move the refrigerator by holding the stay 14.

In the present embodiment, the spacer 14 is located between the suction grill 15 and the discharge grill 16. When the spacer 14 is positioned between the suction grill 15 and the discharge grill 16, the air discharged from the air discharge port is prevented from immediately flowing into the air suction port side, and the heat efficiency can be improved. That is, the spacer 14 extends across the air outlet and the air inlet, and therefore, in the present embodiment, the spacer 14 extends across the air inlet and the air outlet.

Referring to fig. 19, which is a sectional view, the spacer 14 includes a blocking space 14a opened downward. The blocking space 14a is open to the lower side where the air discharge port is located, and the upper side and the wall surface side (the right side with reference to the drawing) are closed. Therefore, the air discharged through the air discharge port is naturally guided to the lower side without flowing into the upper side, i.e., the air suction port side.

Referring to fig. 18 and 20, the structure of the inner case 30 is illustrated. The inner casing 30 has a three-dimensional structure in a form surrounding the storage chamber 32 with reference to the storage chamber 32 positioned at the center. In the present embodiment, the inner casing 30 may be regarded as a substantially hexahedral shape, but is not limited thereto. The inner casing 30 may be entirely or at least partially made of a non-metallic material, and in the present embodiment, the inner casing 30 is made of a non-metallic material such as a synthetic resin. Of course, all or only a part of the inner casing 30 may be made of a metal material.

Referring to fig. 20, the skeleton of the inner shell 30 is formed by a pair of side surface portions 31a and a bottom portion 31b connecting the side surface portions 31a to form a bottom surface. A storage guide 35 is provided inside the inner case 30 surrounded by the pair of side surface portions 31a and the bottom portion 31b. The storage guide 35 surrounds at least a part of the beverage container B, and an inlet of the storage chamber 32 is formed in the storage guide 35. The partition wall 34 extends vertically between the pair of storage guides 35, and thus functions to partition the storage chamber 32.

In the present embodiment, the storage guide 35 is positioned between the pair of side surface portions 31a, and a cylindrical storage body 38, which is cut at a substantially lower portion thereof, extends vertically, i.e., in the height direction of the beverage container B. Therefore, the cross section of the storage body 38 is substantially close to a D shape, and the front is opened. The open portion of the storage body 38 is covered by the heat insulating panel 42 while being traversed by the first panel 43. The storage body 38 may be considered as a part of the storage guide 35.

For reference, the receiving body 38 has a shape similar to or identical to the cooling guide 40 of the above embodiment, and thus may be regarded as an identical structure. That is, the housing body 38 may be regarded as the cooling guide 40, but for the sake of distinction, the housing body 38 will be hereinafter referred to as the housing body 38, and a separate reference numeral will be attached to the housing body.

In the present embodiment, the housing body 38 itself does not need to be cooled, and therefore does not need to be made of a material having high thermal conductivity. Therefore, the storage body 38 and the storage guide 35 are integrally formed to have a shape continuous to each other.

The front part 36 of the storage guide 35 faces the cabinet 10 the front portion of the housing guide 35 constitutes the front surface of the housing guide. At this time, the front surface 36 of the storage guide 35 and the inner surface of the cabinet 10 are spaced apart from each other to form an installation space 36a. The installation space 36a is a portion where a display or the like is provided. The structures of the front portion 36, the mounting space 36a, the expanded portion 36' and the mounting groove 37 are similar to those of the above-described embodiment, and thus, the description thereof is omitted.

In the present embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiments, the cooling guide 40 is not separately provided, and the storage guide 35 and the storage body 38 are entirely made of a synthetic resin having low thermal conductivity. In the present embodiment, as described below, the cooling device C does not cool the inner casing 30 itself but cools the storage compartment 32 located inside the inner casing 30, and therefore the inner casing 30 does not need to be made of a material having high thermal conductivity.

The storage body 38 connected to the storage guide 35 has a substantially circular arc-shaped cross section. The storage chamber 32 is also opened forward because the storage body 38 is opened forward, but the first panel 43 of the heat insulation panel 42 is assembled to the storage chamber 32 forward to shield the storage chamber 32. The heat insulation panel 42 is provided on the front surface of the inner casing 30 corresponding to the side opposite to the cooling device C through the storage chamber 32, and has a flat plate structure made of a heat insulation material. The structure of the heat insulating panel 42 is described in the above embodiment, and thus, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

In this way, the housing body 38 constituting the inner case 30 is formed not in a polygonal shape but in an arc shape, and extends in the same shape along the height direction. Accordingly, the shape of the storage room 32 is also formed in the same shape along the height direction of the beverage container B, and the temperature inside the storage room 32 is uniformly distributed. Thus, it is possible to prevent a large temperature difference from occurring depending on the height of the storage chamber 32 by carelessness according to the shape of the storage body 38.

The housing body 38 is formed with

circulation holes

39a and 39b. The circulation holes 39a and 39b are formed through the housing body 38, and the

circulation holes

39a and 39b include exhaust holes 39a and cooling holes 39b that are different in position from each other. The exhaust hole 39a is a hole for discharging air in the storage chamber 32 in the direction of the cooling device C, and the cooling hole 39b is a hole for discharging air cooled by the cooling device C into the storage chamber 32. In the present embodiment, cooling holes 39b are formed above and below the exhaust hole 39a, respectively, with the exhaust hole 39a as the center.

In the present embodiment, cooling holes 39b are disposed above and below the exhaust hole 39 a. In this way, the cool air flowing into the storage chamber 32 through the cooling holes 39b flows in the height direction of the storage chamber 32 and is then naturally discharged through the central exhaust hole 39b, thereby improving the efficiency of heat transfer into the storage chamber 32.

Naturally, the

circulation holes

39a and 39b may be arranged not in the height direction of the storage room 32 but in the right and left direction perpendicular thereto. That is, the cooling holes 39b are disposed on the left and right sides with the exhaust hole 39a as the center.

The circulation holes 39a and 39b are surrounded by a fan cover 68 of the cooling device C described below, and the

circulation holes

39a and 39b are provided in a circulation space 68' formed by an inner surface of the fan cover 68 and a surface of the housing body 38. And thus does not spread toward the periphery during the circulation of the air, but flows only in the above-mentioned circulation space 68'.

Fig. 21 to 23 illustrate the cooling device C. For reference, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment are omitted. In the above embodiment, the cooling device C cools the cooling guide 40 itself constituting a part of the inner casing 30, but in the present embodiment, the cooling device C operates to lower the temperature of the storage chamber 32.

The cooling device C has a cooling tank 57'. The cooling groove 57' is located between the thermoelectric element 55 and the housing body 38, and is in close contact with a cooling portion of the thermoelectric element 55. Therefore, the cooling groove 57' can supply the cold air of the thermoelectric element 55 to the storage chamber 32. The cooling groove 57' is in close contact with the cooling portion of the thermoelectric element 55 as in the cooling block 57 described above, and thereby performs heat exchange between the thermoelectric element 55 and the housing body 38. Therefore, the cooling groove 57 'may be regarded as the cooling block 57, but for the sake of distinction, it is hereinafter referred to as the cooling groove 57'.

More specifically, the cooling groove 57' includes a groove body 57b ' having a flat plate structure, and a plurality of cooling pins 57c protrude from the groove body 57b ' in a direction toward the receiving body 38. The plurality of cooling pins 57c are spaced apart from each other and extend side by side to widen a frictional area with air. For reference, in the present embodiment, the above-described cooling pin 57c protrudes in the opposite direction to the heat dissipation pin 59 of the heat sink 58.

A cooling protrusion 57a ' protrudes from the cooling groove 57', and the cooling protrusion 57a ' protrudes in a direction opposite to a direction in which the cooling pin 57c protrudes. The protruding surface of the cooling projection 57a 'is a planar shape, and the surface of the cooling projection 57a' is in contact with the thermoelectric element 55. The cooling protrusion 57a' protrudes into the element mounting hole 61 of the heat insulating block 60 to press the thermoelectric element 55 toward the heat sink 58.

The cooling fan 69 is coupled to the cooling groove 57'. The cooling fan 69 is provided on the side of the housing body 38 opposite to the cooling groove 57'. The cooling fan 69 functions to suck air in the storage chamber 32 and discharge the air in the direction of the cooling fan 69. The cooling fan 69 has a fan mounting hole 69a for mounting the cooling fan 69 to the fan cover 68 or the peripheral component, and the cooling fan 69 is a fan, and the cooling fan 69b is an axial fan.

In the present embodiment, the cooling device C includes a fan cover 68, and the fan cover 68 is disposed on the receiving body 38. As shown in fig. 23, a circulation space 68 'connected to the

circulation holes

39a and 39b is provided between the fan cover 68 and the surface of the housing body 38, and the cooling fan 69 is provided in the circulation space 68'. Therefore, the cooling fan 69 is positioned between the surface of the housing body 38 and the cooling groove 57'.

The fan cover 68 includes a sealing portion 68a surrounding at least a part of the surface of the housing body 38, and the surface of the housing body 38 has a curved shape, and therefore the sealing portion 68a also has a shape corresponding thereto. That is, when the fan cover 68 is coupled to the housing body 38, the end portion of the seal portion 68a is brought into close contact with the surface of the housing body 38, thereby preventing air from leaking therebetween.

Although not shown, the cooling device C further includes a defrost sensor. The defrosting sensor is disposed in the cooling device to detect whether defrosting is required.

Referring to fig. 23, in the present embodiment, a process of cooling the storage chamber 32 will be described. First, when the cooling fan 69 is operated, air in the storage chamber 32 is sucked. The sucked air in the storage chamber 32 flows into the circulation space 68 'through the air suction holes 39a among the

circulation holes

39a and 39b, and is sent to the cooling tank 57' direction (arrow (1)).

At this time, the cooling groove 57 'is in close contact with the thermoelectric element 55, and when power is applied to the thermoelectric element 55, cold air generated at a low temperature portion (left side of the thermoelectric element 55 with reference to the drawing) is transferred in the direction of the cooling groove 57'. Therefore, one side of the cooling groove 57' is in contact with the air in the storage chamber 32, and the opposite side is in contact with the low temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55, so that heat exchange between the two can be performed.

The air cooled by the heat exchange in the cooling grooves 57 'is diffused to the outside (arrow (2)) of the circulation space 68' formed by the fan cover 68 by the cooling fan 69. Then, the air is re-supplied to the storage chamber 32 through the

circulation holes

39a and 39b via the cooling hole 39b (arrow (3)). Therefore, the temperature of the storage chamber 32 is decreased. As such air circulation is continuously performed, the temperature of the storage chamber 32 is decreased.

The receiving guide 38 has a curved shape surrounding the storage chamber 32 and the surface of the beverage container B, and thus can effectively transmit cold air to the surface of the beverage container B.

Next, a process of radiating heat from the cooling device C will be described as follows: the air flowing in through the air inlet provided in the suction grill 15 is discharged in the direction of the radiator 58 by the radiator fan 65 (arrow a). When the outside air is sent in the direction of the heat sink 58, the temperature of the heat sink 58 in close contact with the high-temperature portion of the thermoelectric element 55 decreases, and at this time, a large number of heat dissipation pins 59 are present in the heat sink 58, so that a very wide contact area with the outside air is ensured.

The air heated by the heat radiation of the cooling device C is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator again (arrow B). More precisely, the air inside the refrigerator is discharged through the air discharge port provided to the discharge grill 16. In the present embodiment, the air discharge port is located at the lower portion of the back plate 13, and thus air is discharged to the lower side, but the air discharge port may be located at the upper portion of the back plate 13.

In this case, since the spacer 14 provided in the back panel 13 secures a distance between the wall surface and the back panel 13, the inflow and outflow of air can be smoothly performed. Further, since the spacer 14 is positioned between the suction grill 15 and the discharge grill 16, the air discharged from the air discharge port is prevented from immediately flowing into the air suction port. Therefore, the air discharged through the air discharge port is not directed to the upper side, i.e., the air intake side, but is naturally directed to the lower side.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator includes 2 storage compartments 32, and the cooling device C is provided separately in each storage compartment 32. And the above-described cooling devices C can be controlled independently of each other. Therefore, the set temperatures of the storage compartments 32 can be set to different temperatures, and for example, when the beverage is wine, an appropriate temperature value can be set according to the type of wine or the like. That is, the user can adjust the temperature of the beverage according to the nature of the beverage or his own taste.

Claims

1. A refrigerator for beverages, comprising:

a cabinet which houses a beverage container therein;

a cooling guide provided inside the cabinet;

a cooling device which is provided inside the cabinet and cools the cooling guide; and

a water outlet nozzle which is provided so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside of the cabinet, is connected to the beverage container, and supplies the beverage in the beverage container to the outside,

the cooling device includes:

a thermoelectric element that operates upon receiving power; and

a cooling block disposed between the thermoelectric element and the cooling guide to perform heat exchange,

the surface of the cooling block facing the thermoelectric element and the surface of the cooling block facing the cooling guide have surface areas of different sizes.

2. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 1,

the surface facing the cooling guide is relatively wider than the surface facing the thermoelectric element among both side surfaces of the cooling block.

3. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 1,

one side surface of the cooling block is in contact with the thermoelectric element, the opposite surface of the cooling block is in contact with the cooling guide, and the contact area between the cooling block and the cooling guide is larger than the contact area between the cooling block and the thermoelectric element.

4. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 1, wherein,

the cooling block includes a first block in contact with the thermoelectric element and a second block in contact with the cooling guide, and the first block and the second block are formed in different shapes from each other with respect to a step surface.

5. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 1,

the thickness (T2) of the cooling block is thicker than the thickness (T1) of the cooling guide, and the height (H2) of the cooling block is lower than the height (H1 a) of the cooling guide.

6. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 1,

an inner casing is provided inside the cabinet, the inner casing includes an inner cavity and the cooling guide coupled to the inner cavity, and at least a part of a storage chamber for storing the beverage container is provided inside the inner casing.

7. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 6,

the periphery of the storage compartment is filled with a heat insulating portion, and the cooling guide is disposed between the heat insulating portion and the storage compartment to prevent the heat insulating portion from being exposed to the storage compartment.

8. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 7,

the cabinet includes a plurality of storage compartments therein, and the storage compartments are separated from each other by the heat insulating part surrounding the cooling guide to form independent spaces.

9. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 8,

the storage chambers are respectively provided with different cooling devices.

10. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 1, wherein,

the cooling guide includes:

a first guide member connected to the cooling device and forming a rear portion of a storage chamber for storing the beverage container; and

and a pair of second guide members respectively connected to both ends of the first guide member and extending toward the front surface of the cabinet.

11. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 10,

the first guide is formed into a curved surface, and a surface of the cooling block facing the cooling guide is formed into a curved surface so as to be in surface contact with the surface of the cooling guide.

12. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 10,

the end portion of the second guide facing the front surface of the cabinet is open to the front surface of the cabinet, and a portion open between the pair of second guides is shielded by an insulating panel.

13. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 10,

the end portion of the second guide is connected to an inner cavity provided inside the cabinet, and an insulating panel forming at least a part of the front surface of the cabinet is provided on the opposite side of the second guide with the inner cavity interposed therebetween.

14. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 1, wherein,

set up in the inside inner shell of above-mentioned cabinet body and include:

a side surface portion forming a side surface of the inner case;

a bottom part connected to the side part and forming a bottom surface of the inner case; and

a receiving guide connected to the side surface portion or the bottom portion and surrounding an inlet portion of the beverage container,

the cooling guide is coupled between the bottom and the receiving guide.

15. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 14,

the front surface of the storage guide and the inner surface of the cabinet are spaced apart from each other to form an installation space, the storage guide includes an expanded portion connected from the front surface of the storage guide toward the rear surface of the cabinet, and the expanded portion is formed to be inclined in a direction in which an inlet into which the beverage container is inserted is widened.

16. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 1, wherein,

the cooling guide has the same cross-sectional shape along the height direction.

17. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 16, wherein,

the cooling guide extends along the height direction of the beverage container to form at least a part of a storage chamber for storing the beverage container, and the cooling device is arranged behind the cooling guide.

18. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 1, wherein,

the cooling guide is made of metal material,

the cooling device includes:

the thermoelectric element described above;

a cooling block which is provided in surface contact with the thermoelectric element and the cooling guide, respectively, and which exchanges heat between the thermoelectric element and the cooling guide; and

and a heat sink provided on the opposite side of the cooling block with the thermoelectric element interposed therebetween.

19. The refrigerator for beverages according to claim 1, wherein,

an insulating panel is provided on a front surface of the cabinet corresponding to a side opposite to the cooling device with a storage compartment for storing the beverage container interposed therebetween, and the insulating panel forms at least a part of the storage compartment together with the cooling guide.

20. The refrigerator for beverage according to claim 1,

an air inlet through which outside air flows toward the cooling device side and an air outlet through which air is discharged from the cooling device to the outside are open in the rear surface of the cabinet, and a stay protrudes outward from the rear surface of the cabinet.